The Masked Killer
by DishariakaMiharu
Summary: Nancy visits the Hardys at Bayport to solve a case which might even end her life. And what about the tension between Nancy/Callie?...Ned/Frank?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review.**

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Light streaked through the open window as Nancy opened her eyes. It took a while for her eyes to get adjusted to the blinding sunlight. She looked at the time, almost 7o'clock. Getting up slowly she changed her clothes, a sky blue top with pink trousers. Brushing her strawberry-blonde hair and tying it in a ponytail, she grabbed her purse and went downstairs to the living room.

As she entered the living room, she caught the smell of pancakes and cookies coming from the kitchen.

_Umm…..looks like Hannah's in a good mood today._

She went inside the kitchen to greet Hannah. "Good morning Hannah". Hannah turned around and gave Nancy her wonderful morning smile. "Good morning to you too, dear", said Hannah. She quickly put Nancy's breakfast in front of her and began cleaning the kitchen.

"Where's dad, Hannah?" asked Nancy. "Oh, he said he had some work to finish and won't be back before night" said Hannah with a sigh. "Really, that man is going through a lot of work these days. If he doesn't stop himself, he's going to explode soon."

"Don't worry Hannah. You've seen Dad 'go through a lot' earlier" said Nancy. "Nancy, are you going somewhere?" asked Hannah noticing her purse. "Yeah, I'm meeting Bess, George and Ned today at the mall. We're gonna plan where we'd be going for the holidays."

Finishing her breakfast, Nancy took her car keys from the table and rode all the way to the mall. On reaching there she found Bess and George waiting for her at the entrance. "Morning guys. Where's Ned?" asked Nancy.

"Morning Nan. Ned's saving us a table inside at Donald's. What took you so long?" asked Bess. "Yeah. We were wondering where you went. You're always on time" said George.

"Oh, nothing. Hannah was just making me a quick breakfast. I definitely can't say no to her wonderful pancakes, can I?" said Nancy.

Nancy, Bess and George made their way through the crowd of shoppers and reached Donald's. They found Ned waiting for them at one of the corner tables of the restaurant.

"Morning Ned" said Nancy as she sat down on the chair next to him, George and Bess sitting opposite them. "Morning Nan. What took you so long? You're usually the morning riser" asked Ned. "Hannah's pancakes" said Nancy simply.

"So have you guys planned where we're gonna spend the vacation?" asked Nancy. "Actually Nancy, we're not sure where to go. We thought maybe you would know where to go. We're totally out of ideas" said George.

"But I thought you guys had …." continued Nancy. _Ring… ring…ring…_

"Excuse me guys" said Nancy as she got up from the table and went to a less crowded and noisy place.

"Hello, Nancy Drew speaking"

"Hello Nancy?" the voice said.

"FRANK!!??" cried Nancy in shock as she recognized who that deep voice belonged to.

"Um...yeah Nancy. Why did you shout?" asked Frank from the other end.

"Oh …um… nothing. Actually I was… um…a… bit surprised. Wh....Why did you suddenly call me?" asked Nancy a bit embarrassed. She hated stammering but could not control herself.

_Why in the name of heavens was Frank suddenly calling her, she thought._ She had no problems with Frank calling her but she had agreed to herself that she would keep a distance from him after the fight she had had with Ned last week about Frank. _Well shouting out his name certainly didn't help, _she thought as she found Ned, Bess and George staring at her.

"Actually Nan, there's a case in which Joe and I have been working on. Well it ended up in a dead end and it also ended Joe in the hospital with a few broken ribs and a concussion ..."

"Oh my god!! Is Joe all right?" asked Nancy worriedly.

Even though Joe was a total jerk sometimes, he was more like a little brother to her and she cared for him a lot.

"Yeah. Joe's fine. He's got Vanessa to keep him company. But the two reasons behind which I'm calling you is that… Number one… the case involves you and one of the criminals whom we caught during one of our cases. It seems that the criminal is targeting you and he wants you dead. Number two… we, meaning Joe and I really do need your help on this case. We're at total dead end."

Nancy was silent. What was she going to do? She had promised Ned that she would keep mystery solving out of her mind for some time. But this was different, this included her life. Her life was in danger and she definitely couldn't ignore this case. She had to take this…..no matter what Ned said.

"Hello…Nan? Are you there?" asked Frank.

"Yeah Frank. I'm here. I'm coming to Bayport as soon as I can. Ok?" said Nancy.

"Thanks Nancy. I…I mean Joe and I appreciate your help. So see you soon then Nancy?"

"Wait Frank!?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Yeah sure."

"Can Bess, George and Ned tag along too? Actually we were planning to spend the vacations together. And they can also help me on the case. They really do help me a lot and I won't feel the same without them. Is that OK with you?" asked Nancy.

Frank considered this for a moment. Sure bringing them to Bayport and involving them in the case would be dangerous but something in Nancy's voice was not asking but requesting him. After thinking for a moment, he said "Sure Nan. You can bring them along too."

Frank turned around and found his brother grinning goofily at him. "What?" he asked.

"Is she coming?" asked Joe observing his brother's face carefully.

"Of course she is. But may I know what is there to laugh about?" asked Frank.

"Oh nothing. I think you might know the third reason of inviting HER to Bayport"

"Look Joe. I've told you a hundred times that I'm not in love with Nancy Drew. I have Callie. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say."

* * *

Nancy returned to her table only to find all her three friend's faces gazing at her.

"Who was that, Nancy?" asked Ned.

Bess and George could both see the tension which had started to form between Nancy and Ned. Even Nancy was feeling a little uncomfortable. Suddenly Bess whispered to George, "Hey George? I think maybe we should leave them alone for some time?" "Bess, that's the best idea you have ever had this day" whispered back George. So the both left a very uncomfortable Nancy and Ned at the table and went to the washroom where they had a clear view of Nancy and Ned.

"Um…Ned…that was Fr…Frank. He…um…he"

"What did he want Nancy?" asked Ned.

"Um… Ned give me a minute to explain. That was Frank on the line. He and Joe are working on a case which happens to involve me. I am in danger. And…um…both of them have also come to a dead end in the case. So he…I mean they asked me for help" finished Nancy.

"What did you tell them Nan?"

"I told them that I would arrive at Bayport soon…with you guys" she added in a whisper.

"So you told him that Bess, George and I would also be coming to help you on the case, huh?"

"Well you guys have never been to Bayport before and I've been there quite a few times…so I thought that I could show you around and maybe solve the case as well?"

"What did you promise me about solving cases, Nancy?" asked Ned.

"I know Ned but this case is personal. This case includes a criminal who wants to kill me. I'm sure you can see why I want to solve this case, can't you?

"If your life is in danger Nancy, then I'm coming with you" said Ned.

"Do you think that the tension is over, George?" asked Bess as she spied on Nancy and Ned.

"I think so…Don't you think?" asked George.

"Yeah. They look a lot calmer than a second ago. Maybe we should head back" said Bess.

As soon as they reached their table and Nancy lost no time in telling them about her conversation with Frank. They were scared to think that a criminal would be after Nancy's life…but this was totally expected of Nancy Drew. There may be a hundred thousand criminals out there who would love to kill Nancy but still it took a while for them to digest this information.

After hearing her, Bess spoke up, "So we're really going to Bayport? I totally can't believe it. We're going there on a vacation and to solve a case…ausumn. I heard that there are totally HOT guys in Bayport? Is it true?" she asked them.

Nancy, George and Ned could only laugh.

"Trust Bess to jump to boys at the first chance. Gosh she'd never change, can she?" asked George.

"No there's no chance of her changing."

"Definitely not a chance."

Bess just put up a face. "Hey you guys … stop blaming me. Everyone has their own habit."

_Really… trust Bess to lighten up the mood,_ thought Nancy. Anyway a little part inside her wanted to see Frank again after two months. _No. Don't think that Nancy. You're with Ned and he's with Callie. There's no way she was going to let Frank take over Ned. No way!!_

"Hel-lo…Earth calling Nancy. Are you here?" asked Bess.

"Oh…um…sorry Bess. I didn't catch you. What were you saying?" asked Nancy coming back to Earth.

"I was asking you when are we leaving for Bayport."

"Tomorrow morning. We catch the first flight. OK?" decided Nancy.

"Fine by me" piped Bess.

"Me too" said George.

Nancy turned to Ned. "You're coming, right?" asked Nancy.

Ned stared into Nancy's eyes. "Of course."

"OK then everybody. I'll pick you guys up on the way for the 6 o'clock flight. Be ready by 5." said Nancy.

Nancy was wide awake by 4 o'clock in the morning the next day. She got up quickly and had a quick bath and began packing her bags. She went downstairs only to find Hannah making breakfast for her Dad. "Morning Dad" cried out Nancy as she went to give her Dad a hug. "When did you arrive last night?" asked Nancy.

"A little after midnight. I heard that you, Bess, George and Ned are going to New York today. Why suddenly Bayport?" asked Carson Drew.

"Oh…um…Actually Frank had called yesterday and invited us to Bayport for the vacation" said Nancy after thinking. She had not told Hannah that the real reason for her going there was the case. She didn't want Hannah and her dad to worry. "I'm gonna give you guys a ride to the airport. That's why I got up so early" said Carson.

"Ah Dad…you shouldn't have. You should get some sleep. Anyway you came back so late after a hard day's work, you must be tired" said Nancy sitting down at the table as Hannah placed her breakfast in front of her.

"I'm never tired to give my daughter and her friends a ride to the airport" said Carson.

After finishing their breakfast, Nancy bid goodbye to Hannah and went to pick Ned up, then Bess and George. They reached the airport at 5:30 a.m. After boarding their plane, Nancy turned to Ned who was sitting quietly beside her. "Are you still angry at me?" she asked him.

"Why should I be?" asked Ned.

"You know, for taking up the case which also involves Frank Hardy. And also involves a fiasco minded criminal who's after my life" said Nancy.

"Nancy, I believe in you. You do love me. Don't you?" asked Ned.

"Of course I do, Ned" said Nancy.

"Then I have nothing to worry about" said Ned and began to read his book.

After a few hours……

"Nancy, when are we gonna reach there?" asked Bess.

"Be patient Bess. It's only been one hour. We'll reach there after two more hours." said George.

"TWO MORE HOURS!!??...What am I gonna do for that long?" asked Bess.

"Hey Nan… Is Frank picking us up from the airport?" asked George.

"He is. Joe would have come as well but he's still under the strict doctor's condition that if he even moved a muscle, then he would keep him in the hospital for a whole month" said Nancy smiling.

"Sounds like Joe would be in a very bad mood then, huh?" said Bess

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**A/N: Please review…Next chapter will be up after a while.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review. The second chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it.**

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"Stop pacing up and down, Frank. They'll here soon" said Callie, Frank's girlfriend.

"I know Callie. It's just the case. I can't stop thinking what to do. I'm at a total dead end. I don't think that inviting Nancy was a great idea you know. Maybe I put her in a grave danger by asking her to come here."

"Don't worry Frank. I'm sure that she'd want to know if her life is in danger. Wouldn't you want to know if your life was in danger? At least she can stay alert now." said Callie.

Frank stopped pacing and turned towards Callie. "Did I ever tell you that your ability of never finding any faults in me is simply wonderful?" asked Frank. Callie just smiled.

* * *

Nancy and her friends arrived at Bayport Airport after two hours.

"Nancy, where's Frank?" asked Bess.

Nancy scanned the airport when she found a tall handsome guy with brown hair walking towards them. She smiled at him which faltered a little on seeing a girl with him.

"Nancy! Well am I glad to see you" cried Frank pulling Nancy into a big hug which normally lasted a second longer than necessary. "Glad to see you too, Frank" said Nancy melting into his hug but pulled apart.

There was an awkward pause and then Nancy began to introduce them all. "Frank, I'd like you to meet Bess, her cousin George and my boyfriend N…Ned" said Nancy. She felt like kicking herself on stammering while introducing Ned as he stole a glance at her.

"Nice to meet you all" said Frank "And I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Callie."

"Nice to meet you" they all said after shaking hands.

"So where are you all staying, by the way?" asked Frank.

"We are gonna stay at Hotel Sunshine. Then after explaining the case on which you are working on, you're going to show Bess, George and Ned around Bayport and I'll be sitting in the room trying to find leads in the case. Does that sound OK to you all?" asked Nancy.

Noticing that all of them were staring at her she added "What? I had figured what to do in the plane."

"The same old Nancy I used to know…Always figure everything beforehand. You haven't changed at all, have you?" asked Frank.

Nancy blushed "No. And I'm sure you haven't too, right?"

"Yup, I'm the same old man who never changes, just as Joe says" said Frank.

"OH MY GOD! I almost forgot about Joe. How is he?" asked Nancy.

"Don't worry. He's fine. He's in the hospital. You want to see him?" asked Frank.

"Yeah. I'm sure we all would like to see him after we have dumped our bags at the hotel" said Bess. "So Frank… is he still the same old Joe? It's been a while sine I last saw you guys at River Heights. Does he have a girlfriend yet?"

"Um…no…I don't think Joe has found a girlfriend yet. Why are you asking?" asked Frank.

This time Bess blushed. "Oh…um…just asking. You know how similar our hobbies are"

"Yeah what a terrific hobby: flirting with every guy/girl (in case of Joe) you meet" added George.

"Everyone has their own personalities. My personality is unique…"

"Unique?? In what way may I ask?"

"No…"

"Stop bickering you guys…We are here to have fun remember?" said Nancy.

"Actually and _**technically**_, _**we're**_here to have fun while _**you're**_ here to solve a case, right?" said Bess.

"Um…yeah…you could say that" said Nancy stealing a glance at Ned who had remained silent most of the time. His face was unreadable. Nancy sighed. _Maybe bringing Ned wasn't such a good idea. Well I'll have to stop overreacting at anything Frank says, thought Nancy._

They took a cab to Hotel Sunshine after Frank and Callie had left. They had promised to meet them at the hospital after half an hour. They had two rooms, a single bedded and a triple bedded. After dumping their bags in their rooms, Bess and George had gone off for some refreshments. Nancy was alone in her room when there was a knock at her door. "Come in!" said Nancy. The door opened and there was Ned standing at the door.

"Ned, come in and sit down" said Nancy as she started making room for him to sit.

"Thanks Nan." His voice did not sound right to her. "What's up Ned? You have been exceptionally quiet after meeting Frank. Is everything all right?" asked Nancy concerned.

He hesitated before answering her. "Yes Nan. It's just…seeing you with Frank is making me kinda…um…what do they say…um…a bit _jealous. _You seem so happy with him."

Nancy sighed deeply. "Ned, we've been through this argument before and I just want you to realize that I love you and only you. Not anyone else…Ok? Don't you love me?" asked Nancy.

Ned was caught offguard at Nancy's question. "Of course I love you Nancy. I can't imagine my life without you. It's just…whenever I'm around Frank, I remember our argument and it makes me sad. That's all"

"Let's just forget about it Ned. I love you and only you" said Nancy as both of them leaned forward and their lips met in a heartmelting kiss. It continued until there was a huge bang at the door opening and both of them pulled apart as they heard a totally bewildered Bess say "OPPS!! Um… forgive me for interrupting you guys. I'll be leaving."

"Huh" sighed Nancy. "I must say Bess does have a knack for interrupting us."

"Let's go the hospital to meet Joe now. Bess and George must have waiting" said Ned.

They all took a cab to the hospital to meet Joe where they found Frank waiting for them.

"In which ward is Joe, Frank?" asked Nancy. "He's in ward no. 403. He has grown tired waiting for you guys. He is really anxious to meet Bess" added Frank giving Bess a wink. "Ok…Ok guys. I admit that I've missed Joe but stop teasing me."

"You deserve it Bess…After what happed today" said Nancy. "What happened?" asked Frank. "Oh nothing" said Nancy as a faint blush appeared on her and Ned's cheeks. "Ok…." said Frank as a raging battle started in his mind_. I guess Bess had again ran into them kissing or something…But why is bothering me? No way! I'm not bothered about Nancy with Ned. No sireee. I'm not at all bothered. Nope. I have Callie. She is my girlfriend. I AM NOT BOTHERED!!! I DON"T CARE IF NANCY KISSES NED. NO WAY!!! _

He was so preoccupied in his thoughts that he didn't realize Nancy and the others had already gone inside Joe's ward. He kept up the battle inside in head. _Why am I so nervous in front of Nancy? Why do her smile, her eyes and her voice fascinate me? Her thoughts are so similar to mine. She thinks on the same lines as I do. She has a great passion for mysteries. She is just like me. When she listens to me, it's because she finds an interest in what I have to say. Not like Callie who listens just because she has to listen. Callie doesn't have any interest in mysteries. She doesn't understand my passion for solving cases. Nancy is so not like her. She is much more reasonable…much more my type…YIKES! What am I doing? I am comparing Callie with NANCY!!? I have totally gone out of my mind. If Callie found out what I was thinking right now, she'd really kill me! No way. I have got to stop thinking about Nancy._

"Frank…? Frank??... FRANK!" shouted George.

"Ye...Yeah? George why in name of hell are you shouting at the top your voice? You almost made me deaf!" said Frank.

"Well…you seemed so preoccupied in your thoughts that I had to shout. What were you thinking about? You looked as if you were in some kind of trance or something. Are you alright? Joe was asking where you were" said George.

"Oh have you guys already met with Joe?"

"Yeah. The others are with him inside. Come on. Joe sent me to get you" said George.

* * *

"Man guys. What took you so long to come? I was really getting sick of listening to the doctor's jabbering" complained Joe as he say Nancy, Ned, Bess and George come in.

"Sorry Joe. And anyway the doctor said that you could be released today" said Nancy as she gave him a hug. "I was so worried Joe. And I'm sorry…"

"Why are you sorry?" asked Joe bewildered as he received hugs from George and Bess.

"It was my fault that you got hurt. That psycho was after me and you ended up in hospital because of me…I'm sorry"

Joe stared at her incredulously. "Nancy, have you gone crazy or something? I think maybe too much knowledge is making your brain work the wrong way. It's nobody's fault that I ended up in the hospital with this stupid concussion and these stupid broken ribs. I guess it is my fault for not paying attention but it is not your fault. You got that?"

"Yeah…but still…"started Nancy but Joe interrupted her "Hey, has anybody seen my weirdo brother? I thought he was with you guys."

"He was…a minute ago. Maybe he's waiting outside. I'll get him" said George as she exited.

* * *

After an hour or so Joe was discharged from the hospital. They took Frank's car to their apartment where Joe greeted his worried parents. "Hey Mom, hey Dad…what's for dinner?" asked Joe as he gave his mother a hug. "Well honey, here's the proof that Joe is perfectly fine…the first thing he thinks about is food" smiled Fenton hardy as he gave his son a hug.

"Dad, I am a growing boy" said Joe as he went upstairs to his room.

"He will never change…Nancy! It is so nice to see you again…you have grown a bit, I see. And who are your friends?" said Laura Hardy as she greeted Nancy. "It's great to see you too, Mrs. Hardy…" began Nancy. "Uh…uh…it's Laura to you all" interrupted Laura.

"Ok" said Nancy smiling. "Laura, this is George, Bess and Ned. They are here to spend the vacation in Bayport, it's such a wonderful place." "But I don't think you're here for any vacation, right Nancy?" asked Fenton.

"Yes…um, actually Fenton, I'm here to look into the case Frank and Joe has been working on. They said they might need some help." "Alright dear, but don't get into anything too dangerous. You know how worried I get about you all. It makes me anxious…" said Laura.

"Don't worry Laura. Everything will be fine. Now I have to go and talk to Frank and Joe about the case and see if I can help them solve it" said Nancy as she and the others headed to Frank's room.

"Ok…so tell me about the case from the beginning" said Nancy as all of them settled down on the bed and the sofa.

"Ok…but it's a really long story. It all started when these strange murders started happening. The victims…who were all girls about the same age as we are i.e. 20-21 years were being murdered by some tall, dark haired guy who always wore a black mask. The real sick part was that he tortured these girls to death but didn't let them die quickly. He handed them each a note and left them to suffer the pain at the side of the roads. Their bodies were found by passers-by and were taken to the hospital but after giving the note and after describing the man, they died…" Frank stopped to look at Nancy before continuing.

Nancy's face was unreadable, but she smiled at him when she found him looking her and motioned for him to continue. "Then, we followed some clues which led us to an apartment where he was hiding…Joe was searching the rooms when I heard him scream. I was looking around the house and came inside quickly to find him lying on the floor, thankfully, with less blood loss. Then I quickly called 911 and the ambulances came quickly but we couldn't catch that crook. And I think Joe should describe his encounter with that crook now" finished Frank.

Joe looked at them all and continued. "Well, as Frank said. I was searching the rooms where I found a laptop on a table. I was just about to search its contents when I heard a noise from behind. I turned around when something, I think was a baseball bat hit me pretty hard on the back of my head. Fortunately I did not pass out. But I was having some problems on concentrating on his face, I was seeing stars actually. Well anyway, he tried to run for it but I caught up with him when he twirled me and threw me down the stairs…and believe me, falling down three flights of stairs is no laughing matter. I think that he escaped by the fire-exit. Darn it! We were so close on catching him but we don't have any clues yet to catch him. We don't even know who he is."

"I think that I should go check out that apartment. But I think you guys should show me the notes that our killer has been leaving behind and tell me why you think that this person after me" said Nancy.

"Alright Nancy but I think you all should rest for a while now. You look really tired up. We will show you those notes later" suggested Frank.

"Yeah Nan, he has a point. We're all tired and I think the mysteries can wait. Let's go back to the hotel. We're here only for a few weeks and we need all our energy to explore this place" said Ned.

"Alright, but you're going to give me all the notes and the clues that you guys followed tomorrow, ok? Let's go guys" said Nancy as she and the others went downstairs.

Laura Hardy saw them coming downstairs from the kitchen and went outside to see them. "Are you all finished? Wouldn't you stay for dinner?" asked Laura.

"No Laura but I'm going to come again tomorrow to see what Frank and Joe has been following. Then I'm going to hunt down that crook who has been killing of all those innocent victims… But you don't have to worry. I'm gonna be fine" she added hastily on seeing the expression on Laura's face.

"Be very careful dear" said Laura.

"Bye Nancy. When are you going to come tomorrow?" asked Frank.

"By 8. Be up and about by then, Joe" said Nancy.

"Don't worry about me, Nan. I'll be up and about by 7" said Joe smirking.

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**A/N: Please review…If anyone has any type of ideas, please don't hesitate…I welcome ideas.**

**No cliffhanger. The next chapter will take some time. I've got tuitions coming.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The third chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. Sorry for the lateness guys but these tuitions and exams are killing me.**

**Thanks to FizzieCherry, Rosepuppy, Hanner Nanner, AndrannaBlades, DJxDANGAAxCRNPPS, ****mustanggirl79**** for supporting me. I'm looking forward to reviews.**

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Nancy woke up early next morning and dressed up quickly. She looked at the time, 7. One hour left still left to visit the Hardys. Though she knew that what she was feeling was not at all right but she was really eager to see Frank. She had to get that stinking feeling out of her. No way was she going jeopardize her friendship with Frank.

Both Bess and Ned were sleeping and George had gone out for jogging. Nancy decided to leave a note informing them where she had gone. She reached the Hardys by 7:50. _There's still 10 minutes left, thought Nancy. I better wait._

Nancy heard the front door just as she had finished thinking this. There stood Frank at the door and smiled at Nancy. She returned the smile half-heartedly thinking about Ned and her conversation last night when Bess and George and gone to sleep.

"_Nancy, I think that this killer is very dangerous. I don't think that you should wander about alone here. I don't want you risking your life" said Nancy._

"_Ned, I am always careful. I have already faced these types of criminals before and I am totally fine. And besides I have Frank and Joe this time with me. There would no problem with them around. What's wrong, Ned?" asked Nancy looking at Ned's face._

"_I don't know Nancy. I think that I am feeling a bit jealous of Frank. I mean that I know he has feeling and so do you. Maybe not very much but you guys do have it. And you also have this extra mystery connection with him…I know I'm being stupid Nancy. But promise me you will not land yourself in danger. Please stick with me while you are solving this case" requested Ned._

"_Oh Ned, don't worry. I will not leave your side" promised Nancy._

And now Nancy was standing in front of the Hardys. Was she breaking her promise? She didn't want to be with Ned and Frank at one time. There was no other way to it. Ned would have to understand.

Frank let her in and accompanied her to his room. His room was really interesting. She hadn't noticed earlier. There was a computer at one corner complete with speakers and a printer. There was a picture of him and Joe sitting on the table beside his bed. Another picture of him, Joe and Callie was hanging on the wall. There were posters of the basketball team he and Joe were in at High School. Bits of mementos of each case and there was a shelf full of trophies which he had won, first prize in swimming, sports, maths, science, chess etc.

Nancy looked up to see Frank smiling at her. "Wow Frank! You really have to make another shelf for those trophies. There are thousands over there" said Nancy.

"Well, those are just memories of High School. See the basketball team? I really loved it then. Joe used to impress all the cheerleaders out there but never Callie."

"Callie was a cheerleader? Gosh I never knew. I should have guessed though, her figure is really nice" said Nancy. "Isn't Joe up yet? I thought he promised to be up at 7."

"Don't worry about Joe. He'll be about in 10 minutes" said frank as he tried to hide a smirk.

"Why are you smirking, Frank?" asked Nancy as she noticed his attempt to hide a smile. "I knew that Joe wouldn't make it so I did a little experiment on him which will be activated in 9 minutes. Just wait and watch the fun" said Frank.

"Frank, I never knew you could play tricks on people. You're the serious type aren't you?" asked an amused Nancy.

"Yeah but after what he had told me last night, I have to prove him wrong on all accounts" replied Frank. "What did he tell you?" asked Nancy. She watched him curiously as he blushed and shrugged and looked at his watch. "Only 4 minutes left… By the way Nancy, didn't the others want to come with you? I thought Ned would have at least come."

"He did want come but I came over here without informing them. I thought they would land in trouble if they got involved in the case. I didn't want to put them in danger" replied Nancy.

Frank looked troubled. "Nancy I don't think you should have come without informing them…they are going worry and I don't think Ned will be very happy you came here without informing him at least and Nancy I am really worried about you. I didn't want to drag you into this but we need help and the sooner we find him, the lesser lives will be lost and you would be in less danger but Nancy..." Frank's blabbering stopped as Nancy put her finger on his lips to stop him. He recoiled at her touch as though electric sparks had gone off at her touch.

Nancy could see that Frank was really worried and wondering what to tell him when…AAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

Joe's yell shot through the house. Nancy was startled as Frank's worried expression quickly replaced a look of utter hilarity. Joe's yell shot out a few more times and after that it calmed down. "It's a good thing that mom and dad are out or else they would have called the police by now" said Frank.

"Frank Hardy what did do? Come on, tell me" asked Nancy. "Let's just say he won't be needing baths anymore for at least a week" smiled Frank. "I don't think you would like the details. It's actually boy's stuff" added Frank with a wink.

"Ok…ok. But when will be coming? I am itching to hear about this case" Nancy said.

Joe came into the room in about five minutes. His expression was totally bewildered and he looked with total disbelieve. "Who are you?" asked Joe. "I think whatever you did to him really shook him up" whispered Nancy to Frank. "You are not my brother. He never does this to me. Who are you? What have you done with my brother?" continued Joe.

"What Joe? You didn't like my way of waking you up? I thought you asked for it last night" replied Frank. Joe's expression changed quickly into amusement. "So this was only to make me pay for telling you the truth?" asked Joe. "Gee I didn't know that knowing the truth would get you pissed up so much."

"What you told me last night was not at all the truth. You know it so stop teasing me about it. Now if you haven't noticed, Nancy's here already so sit down already and get started with the already."

"Yeah…yeah…whatever. You know I would never stop teasing you so get that little ray of hope out of your mind and good morning…Well 'good morning' for you but for me…just forget about it. Anyway Frank…thought you should know that I plan to get my revenge as soon as I can."

"Dream on brother…" smiled Frank.

"Now will please tell me about the case?" asked Nancy getting slight agitated but was truly respecting the deep relation of the brothers.

"Yeah sure Nancy. I'll begin, shall I brother?" asked Joe. "And I think that you should make us some breakfast. I'm starving and I'm sure so is Nancy. So hurry up."

Frank rolled eyes but realized that it was better if Joe told the story. He was the one who stumbled (and emphasis on _stumbled_) upon all the clues. So he went inside the kitchen and started preparing breakfast.

Joe started. "These strange murders had started a month before and there were at least 3 murders in a week. A friend's of Dad requested us to look into the case because his brother's daughter was one of the victims. And there was no point in requesting because we were _**so**_ involved in the mystery. But it was still not our case _**officially**_ until someone asked us to investigate" Joe said. "Well we first asked the Chief to give us information on the number of criminals who broke out or was free from prison because we couldn't find a pattern in those murders. And it looked like serial killing to us. Well anyway, there were four people who were free from jail in the last month. No break out and anyway we would have heard if there had been a break out. So these four people were Jane Bridge, Justin Blake, Will Austin and Lizzie Shoal.

Remember Jane and Will, Nancy?" paused Joe to ask Nancy.

Nancy remembered them well enough. She also remembered Jane's last words to her before she was taken to jail. She still remembered the pure hatred and rage in Jane's eyes which still sent shivers down her spine.

_Flashback:- _

_Nancy was standing beside Frank who had his arms around her to stop her from getting well out of her wits. Joe had taken Bess to dinner to calm her down. Nancy was not a person to get terrified so much. She was usually the strong one. But she stood straight when Jane and Will entered the court for their trial. _

_They had committed serious crimes by bankrupting and murdering innocent people. They murdered ruthlessly by…Nancy shuddered. No, there was no way of describing it. Nancy and Bess had almost been a victim had not Frank and Joe arrived in time to save them. After they were charged of imprisonment for 10 years, Jane looked at Nancy with hatred beyond compare. "I will remember this, Drew" she spat. "Revenge will be mine and you'll wish you had never been born, vermin. I will take my revenge."_

_End Flashback._

"Nancy?" "NANCY!" almost shouted Joe.

"Yeah, Joe? Sorry I drifted away. I'll never forget Jane and Will. It's too scary. Please continue."

"You sure you're all right?" asked Frank who Nancy noticed had returned with a plateful of sandwiches. "I know that the memory must haunt you. It still does to me. Really."

"I'm fine Frank" said Nancy and she asked Joe to continue.

"Ok Nancy," continued Joe. "Justin is now working at a call centre and Lizzie is a waitress but we couldn't find Jane or Will. I guess they could be behind all this but there's no evidence. So anyway, we looked at those notes which the killer had been leaving behind and they were all the same. Look here's one" said Joe as he handed Nancy the notes.

They were all same but Nancy could see why Frank and Joe thought that the killer was after her. The first note said, _"One red-head down", "Where are you hiding detective?", "Next will be from River Heights", "Such beautiful blue eyes to waste". _

Nancy's hand trembled as she read the rest. "Nancy are you okay?" asked Frank concerned. He could see that the notes had shaken Nancy up. Nancy nodded her head and said, "I don't know Frank." "So do you suspect Jane and Will?" she asked. "We do suspect them but there are so many others out there to harm you Nancy. We are not so sure but they are hit suspects," said Joe.

"Well we analyzed the paper and found that it's one of a kind and it is normally made in a factory called SIMSON'S PAPERENCHIO. So we tried to start our investigation from there but the results are in front of you Nancy," said Frank. "Then I thought that maybe you'd be able to help us Nancy."

"I'll surely try to help you guys and since it looks like that this person is after me so it might help a lot for me to be here" said Nancy.

"Nancy I want you to promise me that you will never go anywhere without informing me…I mean us. Please do not go anywhere unaccompanied. Don't put yourself in jeopardy Nancy. Please promise Nancy," requested Frank.

Nancy looked at Frank's concerned eyes and couldn't bring herself to promise knowing that she would have to break it under some circumstances. She was saved from promising as Joe's phone rang out loud. Both of them looked at each other without breaking the silence as Joe talked with someone for a while.

"Guys I think we have to go to the hospital immediately," said Joe. When Frank and Nancy looked at him quizzically, Joe hesitated, avoiding Nancy's eyes as he said "Another victim."

Nancy sat in the back with Frank beside her as Joe drove them to the hospital.

* * *

**A/N: Please review…If anyone has any type of ideas, please don't hesitate…I welcome ideas.**

**No cliffhanger. The next chapter will take some time. I've got tuitions coming and school has started so please review or else I won't update. Oh yeah and SIMSON'S PAPERENCHIO, I don't even know if it exists or not. It just came to my mind.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The third chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. Sorry for the lateness guys but these tuitions and exams are killing me.**

**Come on guys give me some reviews…**

**Thanx to ****.x**, **MITA (), shar12392, ****terasnik**** , ****Lunalab for sticking with me and for bearing my so very late updates…but hey what can I do? Exams knocking on the doors…^_^**

* * *

"Nancy where are you?" asked Ned as soon as he got connection to Nancy's phone. "Why did you leave your phone switched off? Do you know how worried sick I was?"

"I'm sorry Ned. I did not want to disturb you guys so I got up early and came to meet the Hardys. Ned look I can't talk right now. I'm in the hospital…"

"Why are you in the hospital? Has anything happened to you?" interrupted Ned.

"I'm fine Ned. Nothing has happened to me but we have another victim fighting for her life. Why don't you, Bess and George come over here?"

"We'll be there in five minutes Nancy," said Ned as he hung up.

Sighing Nancy turned around. They have been waiting in the hospital for an hour for news about the girl. Luckily she had somehow managed to hold onto her life until the police had been able to take her to the hospital. The doctors said that there was a chance that she could be saved. They had found another note in her hand. It said, "Ah…so you have arrived at last my dear Nancy. Well I have only one thing to tell you… '_Enjoy your life while you still can detective…your life is about to end and I'm not planning a very nice ending for you._'"

Joe had gone to talk to the police, Frank had gone to get something to eat. Nancy just sat down on the chair and thought about the note. _So they knew that I'm in Bayport. How? I have not gone out much lately. So are they spying on us? Probably. So they want to kill me in a not so very nice fashion. Well that's not new to me. _

It was only after Frank sat down beside her that Nancy broke out of her trance. He looked at Nancy concerned. "Are you all right Nancy?" "I'm fine Frank. I'm just worried about the girl…and I can't understand how they know I am here. I mean I arrived just yesterday. They must be spying on us, Frank."

"I think you're Nancy but you must be careful and here" said Frank as he handed Nancy a sandwich. "Eat or you'd end up in the hospital sick yourself."

Just then Nancy heard Bess's voice. "Nancy! There you are. You are so in trouble young lady. Why didn't you leave a note before you left? You really scared us and why did you have your cell phone off? We couldn't contact you."

"Bess give her time to explain," said George from behind her.

"I'm sorry guys. I was kinda absorbed in the case so I guess I forgot to switch on my cell. And I forgot to write a note…sorry"

"Well you should tell this to Ned. He's not very happy with you," said Bess still angry at Nancy.

"Where is Ned?" asked Nancy. Right on cue Ned arrived. "Nancy!" Though he tried to look angry, he failed miserably. "What am I going to do with you?" asked Ned before hugging Nancy.

"I'm sorry Ned" whispered Nancy. "It's OK. But don't ever do that again" said Ned as he released Nancy.

Joe arrived at the scene with the doctor. Everyone became tense. The doctor smiled at them and said, "Which one of you is Nancy?"

Nancy came forward. "Ah so you are Nancy. I'm Doctor Stephen McGill. Would you please care to talk to Ms. Alicia? The victim" he added after seeing the confusion on Nancy's face. "She wants to talk to you alone."

"Ok doctor" said Nancy as she followed the doctor into Alicia's ward. What Nancy saw almost made her sick. Alicia lay on the bed covered with bandages. Her face was scarred and looked as though someone had done those with a knife. When she heard the door open, she looked up.

She gave Nancy a smile which Nancy could not return. She was feeling so guilty. The doctor left them and Alicia motioned to Nancy to sit down.

"So you are Nancy? Nice to meet you. I'm Alicia," said Alicia.

"Alicia I'm so sorry. It's totally because of me that you're here…" said Nancy. "Nonsense Nancy. Don't blame yourself. I'm actually worried about you, Nancy. The guys who had kidnapped me weren't very nice and I think that they won't spare you for whatever you had done to them," said Alicia.

"Don't worry about me. These type of threats are a matter of habit now. Do you know the name of the people who kidnapped you?" said Nancy. "Yeah actually Nancy, they said that their names are Will Austin and ..."

"…Jane Bridge?" whispered Nancy.

"That's right Nancy. Do you know them?" asked Alicia.

"Actually Alicia I'm a detective and they had committed some serious crimes ten years ago. They have been released now and I they are seeking for revenge now. They have already murdered many girls before to get to me. Now that I'm here I don't think they would attack innocent girls but only if I knew what they were planning," said Nancy as she got up. "I think you should rest now Alicia. The police will be draining you with questions soon so I think that I should leave now."

"Nancy…" said Alicia.

"Yeah?"

"Take care"

Nancy smiled. "I'll try. Being a detective is hard."

As soon as Nancy came out, she found Ned and Frank waiting for her. "Where are the others?" asked Nancy.

"They have gone back to our place" said Frank.

"We are thinking about staying at their house for a while. George and Joe have gone to check out. I think that Bess has already arrived at the house. So what did you and Alicia talk about?" asked Ned.

"Not here, Ned. I'll tell you all about it at the house. Let's go now," said Nancy.

"So now will you tell what you and Alicia talked about?" asked Frank as soon as they arrived home.

"Well Alicia told me that Jane and Will are behind this all," said Nancy.

"I knew that! So they _are_ seeking revenge for what you did to them," said Joe as he sat down on the couch. He and George had just arrived after they had checked out from the hotel.

"But till now all the victims had been murdered…Why did they leave Alicia?" wondered Ned.

"I think they wanted her to warn me or something. Anyway whatever was the matter, we must all stay alert. I don't want any of us getting hurt," said Nancy.

"Maybe you should worry Nancy…they are after you. So I want you to be accompanied the whole time. Got it?" said Frank.

"Yeah okay… so what now?" asked Nancy.

"Maybe we should go shopping. Come on Nancy…please…You did promise a nice vacation," pleaded Bess.

Nancy agreed to come and so did the others so they set off to the nearest shopping mall. They had stopped at Callie's so that she could also join them. Bess and Callie hung out at the ladies fashion boutique while Ned, Joe and George were looking around the sports counter. Nancy was checking out some books when she heard someone coming behind her. She turned around and saw Frank looking at her the book in her hand.

"So you like _romantic stories?_" asked Frank incredulously as he saw Nancy reading Paradise by Judith McNaught.

"Yeah so?" asked Nancy.

"Well you don't really seem the type of girl to be reading romantic stories…I thought you were the fighting guts type…you know full of action stuff. Romance doesn't match with you."

"Thanks for your ever so generous complements but I am a girl after all and most girls love to read romantic novels…"

"Yeah but you are not like most of the other girls…I mean most girls don't usually stumble upon murders everywhere they go."

"I'll consider that a complement," replied Nancy as she went back to reading the book.

"Hum…I think I'll buy this book after all. It's a nice one."

After buying the book she and Frank headed to find the others. They were still exploring the shops and seemed least bothered to go back home.

Nancy noticed a food counter and said "Hey Frank I'm gonna go get something to eat. You want me to get something for you?"

"No need to worry Nan. I'll come with you."

Nancy ordered two sandwiches and sat with Frank at a table.

"So Nancy…How's Carson?"

"He's fine. Still busy as always. Hannah's driving him crazy by asking him to take a vacation but he won't listen to her," continued Nancy but stopped as she noticed that Frank was not listening. He was looking somewhere else and then turned at Nancy.

"Um Nancy? I think maybe we should head home."

"Why Frank?"

"Do you recognize that guy over there?" asked Frank

"Where?"

"Over there behind the counter."

Nancy looked at the direction where Frank pointed out. She almost let out a scream of horror.

Standing at the counter was Will Austin.

* * *

**A/N: At last a cliffhanger! ^_^ I was thinking that I would never have the opportunity to give a cliffhanger. I know it's really annoying but the next chapter will come up after a while.**

**Please review…If anyone has any type of ideas, please don't hesitate…I welcome ideas.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The third chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. **

**Come on guys give me some reviews… and REALLY VERY SORRY for my late posting and also for the REALLY short chapter but my exams are going on…What can I do?**

* * *

"Frank, what do you think we should do? It's positive that he's keeping a watch on us," whispered Nancy.

Frank leaned towards Nancy and said, "Nan, you must get out of here. He's here for you. You are in danger. I'll escort you outside and you must take the car and go back the house. Stay there until I give you a call, ok?"

"Fine but don't you think he will follow me?" asked Nancy.

"Don't worry Nancy. I'll take care of him," answered Frank. "Just promise me that you'll be safe and I don't need anything. Promise Nancy?"

"I promise," said Nancy and she saw the concern in his eyes which was mixed with a little…love? Did she just see that in his eyes? _I must be getting paranoid, _thought Nancy as she got up from her table. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Will move a fraction as his hand went up to his ears but made no other motion to approach.

Nancy was walking to the empty parking lot with Frank behind her when she heard a loud THUMP!! She turned around, a second late, and felt strong hands grab her from behind and a hand putting a cloth in front of her nose. She saw the motionless figure of Frank before she was engulfed in darkness…

* * *

**A/N: Please review…If anyone has any type of ideas, please don't hesitate…I welcome ideas.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The sixth chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. **

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

**Thanks to rinoa11, angry penguin, kk. **

Nancy woke up with a headache. She looked around herself trying to make out her surroundings. Where was she? She was inside a room - full of dirt and cobwebs, again what's new? There was no window and she couldn't even tell whether it was day or night.

Nancy tried to move her hands but they were tied behind her. _What's new?_ thought Nancy sarcastically. Centuries…or maybe perhaps years of experience had taught what to do in this situation. _How many times have I been kidnapped now?_ thought Nancy_. Wow! Lost count. _

Nancy tried to loosen her binds but they wouldn't budge. Then the incidents came back to her head._ Oh my God! Where's Frank? What happened to him? Is he all right?_ The thoughts had Nancy worried. Just then she heard someone moving outside the room. The door opened and a guy wearing a blue shirt and shorts came in. Nancy didn't recognize this man. Where was Will?

Then the man spoke up. "So you're the Nancy Drew. Nice catch." Nancy saw a gleam in his eyes. "Hmmmmm…I have to admit Ms. Drew, you are a chick. Wouldn't it be a waste if you weren't used for a bit fun?"

Nancy shivered inwardly as she felt his eyes wash over her body like a hunter appreciating his prey. _Please help Frank, thought Nancy. I need you. _

A voice came from outside, "Ryan, is she awake?" Nancy immediately recognized the voice. It was Will's. Ryan shouted back, "She is. You wanna talk to her?"

Will came inside the room. He eyed Nancy with pure hatred. "Yes Ryan. I'd very much like to talk to her." Chuckling, Ryan left the room. Will went to the door and locked it. Then he sat down on a chair and looked at Nancy.

"So Ms. Drew…not in a good position, are u?" said Will.

"What do you want from me, Will?" asked Nancy.

"Nothing. I want to torture you to death Nancy. Nothing else."

Nancy winced. "Where's Frank?"

"Frank? Oh you don't have to worry about him. My friends are taking very good care of him."

Nancy's eyes blazed and her heart filled with hatred. "I swear Will if you dare hurt Frank then I'll kill you"

"Oh how touchy! You know what Ms. Drew? I don't care what you do to me. Because of you Jane and I suffered a lot. Now you will suffer," said Will.

**A/N: Please review…If anyone has any type of ideas, please don't hesitate…I welcome ideas. **

**Very Sorry for the late post. Exams were killing me. However Exams are over. Hope you are enjoying the story so far. If not please tell me. And…MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The seventh chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. I'm going to post short, ok?**

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

_Oh Frank where are you? _thought Nancy. "Look Will, whatever happened to Jane…it was not intentional. Don't let my friends suffer. You want me…please let Frank go."

"Worried about your boyfriend Nancy? Well we won't let him go that easily. I'm going to go and make preparations for both of you."

Saying this, Will left. Nancy looked about her. There was nothing she could use to cut the ropes which bound her hand.

"Where are the others George? I haven't seen Nancy or Frank for a long time. Have you seen them?" asked Bess worriedly.

"No Bess, I haven't seen them for a long time too. Hey Joe!" called George. "Where's your brother?"

"I don't know. Ned and I have been looking for hem for an hour," said Joe.

"Where's Ned?" asked Bess.

"He's coming…there he is. Hey Ned! Did you find them?"

"No. I've searched the whole place…no sign of them," answered Ned.

"Oh no! They are not in trouble, are they? Joe try to call Frank on his cell," said Callie.

"On it," answered Joe. "Hmm… No reply. Ned, try Nancy's cell."

"No reply either."

"They must be in trouble. What are we going to do?" cried Bess.

"All we can do now is wait. I'm going to inform the police. Ned, take Bess and George home. I'll be back within an hour or two," said Joe.

"Alright Joe." _What have you got yourself into __**again**__ Nancy?_ thought Ned.

* * *

In the other room, Frank had gained consciousness. "Ouch! My head hurts," said Frank as he took in his surroundings. Then the events came back inside his head. _**Oh NO! NANCY!**_

He looked around the room. It was dark and musty and damp smelling. His hands were tied around a pole. He struggled hard, however they didn't even budge. _Hmm looks like I'm stuck here for a while_.

Just then he felt something behind him…a glass bottle. _Well looks like I'll have to cut these ropes in the old fashion_ thought Frank. _I'll have to be careful not to make any noise._

He grabbed hold of the bottle and smashed it to the pole. It cracked with a great noise. _So much for keeping quiet,_ thought Frank

Thankfully no one seemed to have heard the sound. Frank picked up a sharp edged glass piece and began to cut the ropes. After a long time they seemed to loosen a bit. _Darn it! This is going to take forever. I have to get to Nancy, _thought Frank.

* * *

"Please Officer, you have to help us. My brother and my friend are missing. You have to do something," pleaded Joe.

"I'm sorry Joe. You know the rules. I can't file a missing report now. They have to be missing for 24hrs before I do. However I will look into the matter. Please don't worry Joe. Your brother is a very tough guy. I'm sure he'll be able to handle the situation," replied Officer Bentley.

"Ok Officer," sighed Joe. "Inform me if you find something."

"Yes Joe. Now why don't you go home and wait. I'm sure Frank is ok wherever he is. Don't stress yourself," said Officer Bentley.

Joe retuned home. He saw George and Bess outside.

"What happened, Joe? Did you find anything?" asked George.

"No luck yet but I'm sure everything will be ok. Both Nancy and Frank are together and they'll be fine. They've faced much worse. They'll come out of this one as well," replied Joe. "Where's Ned and Callie?"

"They're inside," sobbed Bess. "Oh I hope Nancy will be fine. I'm so worried."

"Don't worry Bess," said Joe. "Come on inside. Have you guys eaten anything? Let me make something for you all."

Joe made Bess and George sit with Callie and went to the kitchen. He saw Ned making sandwiches.

"Joe?" asked Ned after a while. "Do you think Nancy will be all right?"

"I'm sure she's fine wherever she is. And besides," Joe added cheerfully as much as he could "she's with Frank. I'm sure they are fine."

"I hope you're right Joe. Why does Nancy have to get involved in all of this stuff? Can't she stay normal for two seconds? I can't remember any normal vacation we've had together. Something always came up. Normal life is what's missing. I can't stand the suspense…I can't stand not knowing if she's alright or not. I'm sick and tired of worrying about her! I hate her passion…I…I…I HATE HER FOR PUTTING ME THROUGH THIS! For putting her friends through this," shouted Ned. He stopped, taking a deep breath and looked at Joe. "Sorry about that. My emotions got better of me."

"It's ok Ned. I understand how you must feel. But this is Nancy Drew we are taking about. She's like that. You can't change it," replied Joe looking at Ned closely. "Here have some water. It'll calm you down."

"Thanks Joe," said Ned taking the glass of water from him. "I hope Nancy can make it through this time as well. She and I need to talk."

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The eight chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. I'm going to post short, ok?**

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

**Thanks to MCR-1993, GreatDays, multi-obsessed…(and I'll try to update more quickly) for your reviews and for subscribing. THANXXX :) **

Nancy looked about herself. She couldn't find a single thing with which she could free herself. Sighing, she began to think about Frank. Where was he? Was he alright? Was he hurt? _This is all my fault,_ thought Nancy desperately.

* * *

On the other hand, Frank was trying desperately hard to free himself. _Nancy! Just hang on. I'm coming. Oh please be safe Nancy. I don't want anything else ever, thought Frank. _"Darn it!" cursed Frank as the glass piece cut his hand. A sound outside his room stopped him. He dropped the glass piece and listened hard.

The voices were faint but could be heard. One voice said, "What do we do with the girl, Boss?"

A familiar voice replied, "Nothing for now. I'll consult Jane. Why don't you check up on our other captive?"

Footsteps were heard outside Frank's room. Looking up he saw the door open and a man came inside. Smirking, he leveled his eyes with Frank. "So, what's your name?"

Frank made a face of utter disgust at him and said, "What's it to you?"

"Oh aren't you a one with temper," said the man. "Well if you don't cooperate, I'm sure your girlfriend over there won't be in a very good condition," he continued.

Frank looked at him. "What have you done to Nancy?"

"Hmm worried about her I see. Tell me your name," he said again.

"Frank," replied Frank.

"Frank what?" asked the man.

"Frank Hardy! Now will you tell me how's Nancy?" Frank almost shouted.

The man seemed to think for a while. "Hmm did you say Hardy? You don't mean you are Fenton Hardy's son, are you?"

Frank seemed surprised. "Yes I'm Fenton Hardy's son. Why?"

The man hesitated. "Well I hate to tell you but it looks like I owe you a debt."

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The eight chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. I'm going to post short, ok?**

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

**Thanks to MCR-1993**

Frank stared at him.

The man looked as if he was deciding something. He hesitated but spoke up. "I'm Ryan. You see I'm in a though situation here. You father helped my dad out once when he was in a tight spot. Of course my dad wasn't really involved in all that scam but he was framed. We have a bad reputation anyway so it was easy for the people to suspect us. But my dad was innocent and your dad, Mr. Hardy helped him and proved him innocent. That was a very generous thing to do. I owe you…well I actually owe your dad but still…"

"So help me. Help me to save Nancy," said Frank.

"I don't know man…it's tough. These guys I work with, they're dangerous. I hate to admit it but I'm kinda scared of them. You don't know what a horrible thing they plan to do with your girl," he shuddered.

Frank could see that Ryan wasn't lying. He became desperate. "Please help me Ryan. We have to save her," he said. "She's everything to me," he added in a whisper. There was no point in denying it now. What was the point? Every time he saw Nancy, something erupted inside him, something close to a want and a need. It was both. He needed Nancy. Every time they touched, even the slightest of touches sent a shiver down his spine. Whenever she was with him, he had a strong urge to protect her…why? Why didn't he feel the same about Bess or George or…Callie? No. He never felt the same about Callie, whenever Nancy was around. Why? There was only one conclusion which he could draw out of this…he loved Nancy. Even though he denied this, he couldn't hide it forever. He had to save her. No matter what happened to him.

He looked at Ryan. "Please Ryan. Help me get out. I have to save Nancy," pleaded Frank.

Ryan looked at him. He seemed to decide something. "Fine I'll help you. But let me go back now and tell them everything's ok, or else they'll suspect something."

"Sure," agreed Frank. "But hurry back."

* * *

Back at home, Joe tried all he could to find his brother and Nancy. He entered the room and saw Bess and George asleep. George was still awake but was sleepy. She looked up and smiled as he entered. "Any news?" she asked.

Joe shook his head. "None. Where's Ned?"

"He's in your room. Said he needed some rest."

Joe nodded. "Hmm maybe I should go and talk to him. He's really stressed out. It's hard on him."

"Yeah…He doesn't really like it when Nancy goes off for investigation but he simply loathes it when Nancy's in trouble. He thinks she brings up these troubles on herself intentionally. He says her life isn't complete without murders and killings and her investigating the matter." George smiled. "Guess he's right. It's in her blood."

"Yeah I know what you mean. Mom and dad go through that a lot. Mom's always wishing she had two 'normal' sons rather than two seriously abnormal detective sons who know very well how to land themselves in trouble," said Joe laughing.

George smiled.

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. The tenth chapter is up. Please let me know how you think about it. I'm going to post short, ok?**

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

**Thanks to MCR-1993, nancy hardy 0, Maverick1997**

Chapt 9

Frank tried to sit up when he heard footsteps outside the room. Looking up, he saw Ryan entering. He leaned towards him and whispered, "Look, I've got an idea. Will's gonna come to look at you soon…I've told him you're still unconscious. Jane's the mastermind here. She's out for a while. I'm going to tell Will that you've woken up now so that he can come to see you. And then…"

Frank smiled. Ryan's idea was so simple. After a few minutes, Will entered the room, Ryan behind him. Frank looked at Will. He hadn't changed much. Smirking Will said, "What are you looking at dork?"

"Just confirming that you're the same old stupid whose ass I'm gonna kick when I'm free," answered Frank.

"Tut tut …Mr. Hardy, show respect to your seniors. And besides how do you plan to escape? It's impossible."

"Show respect my ass…you're gonna pay for what you've done to all those girls and Nancy."

"Oh really? And who's going to make me pay? You're bound here and no one knows you're here of all places."

Smiling, Frank answered, "Look behind you…"

* * *

Nancy heard noises from outside her room. Suddenly the door opened and Frank entered. He quickly went up to Nancy and cut her ropes with a broken piece of glass. Nancy looked at him astounded. As soon as she was free, Frank pulled her into his arms.

Sighing, she melted into his arms. After he released her, Nancy looked up at him. Smiling, she stood up on her toes and kissed him. Frank was caught offguard but slowly his hand twirled into Nancy's hair, the other hand held her waist and pressed her close to his body. He kissed her back. Years of held up passion and attraction came out in that kiss.

They had to break of the kiss soon as someone coughed behind them.

"Umm guys? Can you please hurry up? We're really short of time here."

Turning around, Nancy saw Ryan at the doorway.

Ryan looked at her sheepishly. "Hey um… what I said back then…I didn't mean it really. And I'm really sorry."

Nancy looked at Frank questioningly. "Tell you the story later. Now we seriously have to leave," said Frank "and Nancy?"

"Yes Frank?"

"I love you."

Nancy smiled. "I know"

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ **


	11. Announce

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. **

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

**Thanks to **Confidential Brunette, nancy d (), lightwarai, MythicalGirl17, celestial-mystic-universe, Katybug8008

I'm really really really truly sorry that I've not been able to post for a long time…plz bear with me…there's just some issues going on at home. I promise to finish the story soon. And thanks for believing in me :)

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ **


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. **

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

**Thanks to **Confidential Brunette, nancy d (), lightwarai, MythicalGirl17, celestial-mystic-universe, Katybug8008

Ryan helped Nancy and Frank get out safely and drove them to the mall. Turning round, he said, " Like I said, I'm sorry but…" A look of concern passed his face.

Frank understood. "Look, if you're worried about Will, then let us help you. We don't want you to get in trouble."

Nancy nodded. Frank had told her everything, and she agreed that they should help Ryan.

"Thanks guys", Ryan nodded thankfully. "But I'll probably get off the hook on my own. Don't worry. I can make up a story really well. I'm going to leave you two here. I'd better get going and act unconscious and say that you both knocked me out pretty hard." He winked.

"Thank you Ryan." Saying this, Frank and Nancy got down as Ryan drove back. Frank realized he was still holding Nancy. He coughed and let go. Nancy raised her eyebrow.

"You're still Ned's girlfriend. I know it's going to be complicated but…." Frank trailed off as Nancy put a finger to his lips and leaned towards him. Frank leaned down and was lost in a passion he had never felt before. It was as if his whole body was burning, craving for more.

They let go after some time. It could have been after a few minutes or hours or even days. Time meant nothing to them. They were together and like two puzzle pieces, they fitted perfectly. Smiling, Nancy turned. Her smile vanished.

Just opposite the road, there was Ned, Callie and Joe. All of them were looking at them. Joe's smile was minuscule but Nancy couldn't look at him or Callie. All she saw was the hurt on Ned's face, as if all his fears had come true. Recovering, Ned got inside the car, quickly followed by Callie. Joe looked unsure of what to do. Finally he looked meaningfully at Frank, got in the car with Ned and Callie and drove off.

Everything was quiet for sometime. Frank looked at Nancy and say her eyes filled with tears. Truth be told, even he was feeling guilty. Callie's face was filled with hurt at his betrayal. But his guilt was not enough to deter him from his true feelings towards Nancy. He took her hand and both of them took a taxi and headed for home.

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ **


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, Callie or Ned or any others…This is my first fanfic, so please review and bear with me. **

**Come on guys give me some reviews.**

The atmosphere was tense when Frank and Nancy reached home. Bess and George ran towards Nancy and hugged her.

Both of them took Nancy's hand and sat her down on the sofa. Frank began telling them what happened. After his version ended, Nancy told them what Will had told her. However she couldn't stop looking at Ned every now and then. He hadn't shown any emotions since she and Frank arrived. Callie was sitting beside Ned, unable to meet Frank's eyes.

After the whole story was told, they all went up. Nancy didn't even get a chance to talk to Ned. Late at night, there was a knock at her door. Opening the door, Nancy saw a letter at the doorstep. Picking it up, Nancy went to sit on her bed.

_Dear Nancy,_

_I knew your heart wasn't in me for a long time. I'm sorry I acted that way when you came. I'm really glad you're all right. I know Frank will take good care of you. I'm going back home today. I have some work to do. Enjoy your stay in Bayport._

_Love,_

_Ned _

* * *

Nancy woke up early the next morning. Coming downstairs, she saw Frank sitting on the couch. Nancy smiled and went to sit beside him. "Is everything ok with u and Ned?" asked Frank.

"It's cool," replied Nancy. "He went back home today."

Frank sighed. "I was hoping to have a word with him."

"Don't worry about it. What about Callie? Is she ok?" asked Nancy.

"She's…well, she's not talking to me but I'm sure she'll come around. I can't lie to myself anymore, Nancy. You are the one I love and if I'm with Callie, I'll only hurt her more."

Nancy smiled. "You're a great guy Frank."

"We'll be together from now on Nancy."

"That's what I always wanted," sighed Nancy.

THE END

**A/N: Please review…I assure you clicking the review button won't hurt a bit. ^_^ And I'm not happy with the ending so I'm going to do a sequel later on. **


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